5-Minute Macadamia Cheese + Vegan Crudité!
Creamy macadamia nut cheese and hummus served with roasted and fresh vegetables! The perfect 30-minute plant-based snack or appetizer.
Servings 6
Ingredients
ROASTED VEGETABLES
- 4 medium whole carrots (tops removed, cut in thirds, large portions halved // organic when possible)
- 2 medium beets (carefully sliced into 1/4-inch rounds // organic when possible)
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil (or sub water)
- 1 healthy pinch each sea salt + black pepper
CHEESE*
- 1 1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts (or cashews // soaked for 1 hour in hot water)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)
CRUDITE
- 5-7 medium radishes (organic when possible // halved or sliced)
- 1/2 medium cucumber (sliced into thin rounds // organic when possible)
- Sprouted or roasted nuts (optional)
- Hummus (DIY or store-bought) or baba ganoush (DIYor store-bought) (optional)
- Gluten-free crackers (I also like Mary’s Gone Crackers brand)
Instructions
- If roasting vegetables, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use more baking sheets if making a larger batch.
- Once preheated, add carrots and beets to the baking sheet and drizzle with oil (or water), salt, and pepper. Toss to combine, and arrange in a single layer. Bake for 17-22 minutes or until slightly golden brown and tender.
- In the meantime, make your "cheese." Add macadamia nuts to a food processor or a high-speed blender along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, sea salt, and lesser amount of water (1/4 cup or 60 ml as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Mix/blend, scraping down sides as needed. Then add more water 1 Tbsp (15 ml) at a time until a thick paste forms. I find I get the best texture results with a food processor, but in a pinch, a blender can work too. It just generally requires more scraping and more liquid.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, salt for saltiness, lemon juice for acidity/brightness, or garlic powder for garlic flavor. Blend again to combine. If adding herbs, add at this time.
- At this point, the "cheese" is ready to eat! But it's better after chilling. Transfer "cheese" to cheesecloth (or a thin, clean towel) and rest over a fine mesh strainer set over a mixing bowl. Twist the top of the cheesecloth so it forms a loose ball. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to 24-36 hours. The longer it chills, the firmer the "cheese" will become.
- Once vegetables are roasted, assemble crudité platter with macadamia "cheese," vegetables, hummus (optional), and any other desired sides. I personally loved the roasted vegetables with a drizzle of tahini and maple syrup then dipped in the nut cheese - swoon!
- Best when fresh. Store leftover nut "cheese" in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Serves 2 as an entrée, 4-6 as an appetizer.
Notes
*You can also use my Spicy Pimento Cheese recipe, Easy Vegan Cheese recipe, or store-bought to save time! I like Kite Hill and Treeline brands.
*More hummus recipes: Golden Goddess Turmeric Hummus, Roasted Jalapeno Hummus, and Garam Masala Hummus.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with radishes, cucumbers, beets, and carrots (it does not include hummus, nuts, or crackers).
*More hummus recipes: Golden Goddess Turmeric Hummus, Roasted Jalapeno Hummus, and Garam Masala Hummus.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with radishes, cucumbers, beets, and carrots (it does not include hummus, nuts, or crackers).
Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 251 Carbohydrates: 14.8 g Protein: 4.2 g Fat: 21.8 g Saturated Fat: 3.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 167 mg Fiber: 5.4 g Sugar: 8.1 g